Zeus
"I am the King of Olympus and it is my way that is the way of the Gods" - Zeus Greek Mythology In Greek Mythology, Zeus (Ζεύς) was the king of Olympus, the ruler of Mount Olympus, and the god of the sky and thunder and Lightning. His symbols were the thunderbolt, eagle, bull, and oak tree. Zeus was the child of the Titans Cronos and Rhea, and the youngest but strongest of all his siblings. It was Zeus who led his brothers and sisters into battle against the Titans, claiming the throne of his father and banishing the Titans to Tartarus. He then married his sister Hera, the goddess of women and marriage. Zeus was well known for his erotic escapades with beautiful mortal women, resulting in many godly and heroic offspring, including Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Persephone, Dionysus, Perseus, Heracles, Helen, Minos, and Kratos. With Hera, Zeus fathered Ares, Hebe and Eris. Ancient Greek lore also speaks of Zeus' incestuous and homosexual escapades, some of such which include his erotic affairs with the young mortal Ganymede, and Zeus having intimate relations with his own brothers, Poseidon and the god of the underworld Hades. His Roman equivalent is Jupiter. In the God of War series Birth and Early Days It was foretold that Cronos would someday be overthrown by his children. To prevent this prophecy from becoming true, the mighty Titan swallowed his children, imprisoning them within his belly. Standing on the Summit of Sacrifice, Rhea, distressed by the loss of her children, saved her last child, Zeus, by tricking Cronos into swallowing a stone wrapped in cloth. She summoned an eagle to take Zeus to an island far away from the watchful eyes of Cronos. It was on this island that Gaia, mother of Earth, would raise him to nurture and desire to free his brothers and sisters, overthrowing Cronos and becoming king of the Gods. Great War After freeing his brothers and sisters, Zeus declared war on the Titans, consumed with feelings of revenge. Betraying Gaia, the very Titan who had raised him, he waged war on all the Titans for the sins of only one. The new rulers of the world, the Gods, calling themselves Olympians, fought against their predecessors with great ferocity. The battle between the Olympians and the Titans formed the landscape of the world, shaking the earth with massive earthquakes and crumbling mountains. During the war, Zeus created the all powerful Blade of Olympus, which was used to banish the Titans to the foulest pits of Tartarus. Cronos would later be forced to endure great suffering by having Pandora's Temple chained to his back and wander the Desert of Lost Souls for eternity. The end of the Great War resulted in Zeus and his brothers splitting the world apart; Zeus became the king of the Gods and would rule over the skies, Poseidon would rule the seas, and Hades would rule the Underworld. Banished, the Titans endured unimaginable suffering in their eternal prisons, binded by the chains Zeus created using the Gauntlet of Zeus. However, one fear always plagued Zeus: the fear that the cycle will repeat itself. The cycle of a son overthrowing his father. Just like Cronos killed Uranus and later Zeus himself crushed Cronos, Zeus expected that one of his own sons will try to kill him and take the throne of Olympus for himself. Ares and Kratos See also: God of War One day, Ares had begun a siege on the city of Athens to gain favor from Zeus over his half-sister Athena. Zeus had forbidden the Gods from waging war on each other, so he allowed Athena to receive help from Kratos, Ares’ former servant and the champion who pledged himself to the Gods for ten years. Kratos met Zeus himself within the damaged city of Athens, where he was given Zeus' Fury, the ability to wield and throw Zeus’ thunderbolts. It is also speculated that the Grave Digger who saved Kratos' life is Zeus in disguise as a mortal. When Ares took the Pandora's Box, he yelled to the skies, proclaiming that he will not hesitate to use it against Olympus, before being killed by Kratos. Zeus and the Gods guided Kratos to defeat Ares, as he was the one who most likely would rebel against his own father. With Ares dead, the Olympians made Kratos the new God of War. However, with the new God of War alienating himself from the rest of the Gods, hiding his hate and dislike for them within, Zeus suspected that a threat to his rule is still present, as Kratos was, too, his own son. Zeus' Betrayal See also: God of War: Betrayal See also: God of War II As the new God of War, Kratos was far more ruthless than Ares ever was. He waged a vicious campaign in once again glorifying Sparta throughout Greece, capturing many cities. Zeus was uneasy about the new appointed god, feeling unsafe upon his throne in Olympus. Once, when Kratos was assaulting a city in his mortal avatar form, he encountered an elaborate plot to destroy his reputation, that included assassination of Hera' favorite beast, Argos, by an unknown assassin, with blame falling entirely on Kratos. The situation was made even worse when Hades' minions attacked Kratos, and the messenger of Olympus, Ceryx, who was sent to make sure Kratos will not uncover the culprit behind the events, was slain by infuriated God of War. Zeus advised Athena to warn Kratos that with every city destroyed in the Spartan army's conquest, the wrath of Gods would grow ever stronger. Kratos failed to comply with Athena’s warning and descended from Olympus down to the island of Rhodes, where his men lay siege. As an enormous god, Kratos tore Rhodes apart. However, Kratos did not realize that Zeus, in the form of an eagle, had followed him. Flying over the massive Kratos, Zeus drained the godly power from him, shrinking the god of war to human size. Zeus then brought life to the Colossus of Rhodes, a statue of Helios which overlooked the city. Misleading Kratos into believing he was at his side, Zeus gave him the Blade of Olympus to use against the Colossus. Draining all of his godly power into the blade, Kratos defeated and destroyed the Colossus, weakening himself in the process. It was at this time that Zeus revealed himself to Kratos. He asked Kratos to become his personal servant, but the proud God of War refused, disgusted. Claiming that the cycle would end here, the king of the Gods took the Blade of Olympus and impaled Kratos, leaving him to die, and than experience the eternal torment in Underworld. Within seconds Zeus took the Blade of Olympus and destroyed the entire Spartan army and everything else in Rhodes. While Kratos was thought to be dead, Zeus also attacked and destroyed Sparta itself, for many Spartans had worshiped Kratos far more than the rest of Olympus, but mostly as an act of revenge for Kratos' unwillingness to succumb to him. Having done these deeds and believing the problem with Kratos to finally be resolved, Zeus left for his throne on Mount Olympus. Kratos' Revenge After Kratos, with the help from Gaia and the Titans, returned back to life and defeated the Sisters of Fate, ending their rule over time and fates, he returned to the moment when Zeus betrayed and killed him. Zeus claimed he had underestimated Kratos and presumed that the Sisters of Fate had aided him. Kratos, picking up the Blade of Olympus, claimed the Sisters were dead. Zeus then remarked that the Sisters deemed him to be victorious from the beginning, and the two warriors ran quickly towards one another, taking to the skies as they attacked. They ended up on the Summit of Sacrifice, where an epic battle would begin. Kratos fought Zeus furiously, until Zeus eventually overpowered him, so Kratos feigned surrender. Kratos asked Zeus to end his life and release him from his torment. Zeus, believing this to be true, raised the Blade of Olympus and said to Kratos that his torment was just beginning. The great God was tricked, and Kratos, using the power of Golden Fleece, repelled the Zeus' blow and took the Blade from him, stabbing him with it numerous times until Athena intervened. Zeus escaped his death at the hands of Kratos, when Athena ran between the two warriors in the very moment Kratos was to deliver the final blow. Athena was wounded and died instead of her father, though Kratos was far more affected by Athena's death then Zeus himself. Before she died, however, Athena told Kratos that he was compelled to destroy Zeus just as Zeus did to Cronos, for Kratos was his son. This was the cycle Zeus had been talking about before he killed Kratos earlier. Athena then stated that no son should ever destroy his own father and that Zeus must live so that Olympus will prevail. God after God would deny Kratos for they would protect Zeus from him. Kratos, led by Gaia, had another opinion. Fleeing to Olympus, Zeus called forth a meeting of the Gods. Fearing Kratos, Zeus spoke to Hades, Poseidon, Helios, and Hermes, claiming that they must put aside their petty grievances and unite. As he exclaimed he would wipe out the plague created by one mere mortal, Olympus began to shake. Looking to the edge of the mountain, the Gods trembled as they gazed upon the Titans, who were thought to have been in Tartarus, being led by Kratos. The Second Great War See also: God of War III Zeus and his Gods will fight against Kratos and the Titans in one final epic battle that will conclude the story of God of War. It is expected that, during his encounter with Kratos, he will be wearing golden armor and Gaia will also intervene into the battle. Powers and Abilities Zeus' powers and abilities are both awe inspiring and terrifying. He is the most powerful god on Olympus and possibly the most powerful being in existence. He possesses the abilities of Regeneration, Projection (the ultimate power a god can posses it allows them to do anything they want and to have any kind of power even to control the world itself), Flight, Summoning, Conjuring The Elements, Telekinesis, Power Granting, Teleportation, Immortality and Super Strength. He is one of the strongest beings in existence. Zeus can Shapeshift, growing to massive sizes and turn into an eagle. He possesses control over the weather, thunder and Lightning. But like all gods he is vulnerable to the Blade of Olympus, his own powerful weapon. He is capable of moving at the speed of light and creating powerful barriers to shield himself. When he unleashed his full power, Kratos was unable to overpower him even though he possessed the Blade of Olympus and had somewhat weakened him. Trivia * In one of the bonus cut-scenes from the game, Kratos reunites with his mother, discovering that Zeus is his father, who he would later take vengeance upon for abandoning him so many years before. However, this is not canon. *In mortal appearance, Zeus is still exceptionally tall, muscular and youthful looking for his age, due to being a god. He had white hair even whilst a newborn child, continuing through his early adulthood. His eyes have no pupils, being the same when he was in his early adulthood. When he was a baby,his eyes had dark blue pupils. Related Pages *Gods *Zeus' Fury *Zeus' Lightning Bolts *Statue of Zeus Gallery Image:Zeusbaby.jpg|Concept art for baby Zeus in God of War II. Image:Youngzeus.jpg|Concept art for young Zeus in God of War II. Image:013.jpg|Zeus in God of War III Category:Characters Category:God of War 1 Characters Category:God of War 2 Characters Category:Immortals Category:Enemies Category:Bosses Category:God of War 2 Bosses Category:God of War III Category:God of War III Bosses Category:Gods Category:Final Bosses Category:God of War 3 Characters